One of the major benefits of working from home is that you can work around the clock without having to leave the house.
One of the major drawbacks of working from home is that you can work around the clock without having to leave the house.
When you work where you live, you need to set boundaries for yourself. Because work is so easily accessible, it is all too easy to forget there is an outside world. But a good deal of your business success (and your family’s mental health) involves turning the computer off and heading out the front door.
Social Isolation Hurts Family and Business
Work-related planning and logistical tasks are important in running your business, but few things will grow your business faster than networking. Letting family, friends, and people you come into daily contact with know about your products and services is a great way to build your business network.
“Networking” is simply a business term for letting other people know about your business, gathering information, and creating contacts that can help your business grow. “Grapevine” may not sound as important, but that is really what a network boils down to.
Work-at-home moms have tremendous networking opportunities at playgroups, PTA meetings, and children’s social and extracurricular activities. Other moms have friends, family, spouses, and their own set of contacts that you can, and should try, to tap into. You never know when someone you already know can connect you with a resource, new client, offer venture capital, or to help.
Get out of the house as much as possible because every social interaction you have may hold networking opportunities. Enjoy ballet recitals, soccer games, and other activities with your children without feeling torn back to the office (just be sure to have business cards handy and your eyes and ears open for networking opportunities).
The woman you sit next to on a park bench as your children romp on the playground could be the CEO from a major corporation, who also decided it was a nice sunny day, and a deadline could wait. How will you know her? She will be the other mom with a Blackberry.
Share Your Work-Life Balance Tips with Other Women
Many women start businesses so that they can work from home and spend more time with their families. But as the demands of the business grow it is easy to feel pulled between work and family. Do you have tips for other women on how you balance running a business with the needs and demands your family has, too? Share Your Tip!
Sources:
Steve Pavlina. Million Dollar Experiment - First Dollar Earned”. November 2, 2005.[/br]
